Brony Stanner
by xslightlyweirdx
Summary: - Any ideas for a title are much appreciated, I didn't have a clue what to call it - Anyway, Tony fancies Bruce, but Bruce is completely oblivious. It starts at the end of the avengers movie where all the Avengers are driving away.
1. A few months at most

*Bruce's POV*

Tony and I stand behind Thor, who grips his younger brother Loki quite roughly by the arm with one hand, and a transparent cylinder in the other. Clint and Natasha stand together, Erik Selvig stands a bit away nearer to the two gods clutching a silver case, whilst Steve walks to join me and Tony. He places himself at my side and we throw each other a smile in greeting. As we bring our heads back round, the golden haired god shoves Loki forward violently; I can see Tony smirking in the corner of my eye. One side of his lips tug upwards, and the other remains the same; his eyes shining with contempt and a cruel laughter that is desperate to escape.

Thor turns back to all of us, Loki released from his vice hold, and immediately crosses the small distance to Erik. They shake hands, and then Erik flips open the silver case. The Tesseract lies in a cushioned, black velvet bed within it; glowing blue in the brilliant sun. Natasha leans in and whispers something in Clint's ear, his lips twitch before becoming a broad smile; however the shades he's wearing cover up anything to reveal what she could have said. With a large pair of pliers, Erik Selvig pulls the Tesseract out of the case whilst Thor flips open the top of the clear cylinder; Erik then proceeds to put the Tesseract into it's new container. Thor closes the cylinder and places a hand on the smaller man's shoulder, possibly as a sign of thanks and a promise that they will meet again.

Loki stands behind scowling at each of our small group in turn as Thor bids his farewells. Tony is before me and he shakes his hand, the height difference would be amusing if I weren't in a similar situation. Thor leans forward and mutters something I can't quite catch into Tony's ear. Tony starts, and his head turns towards me; his expression almost thoughtful. The powerful thunder god then rotates his body to face me; he stretches his hand out to me which I meet halfway. His hand closes around mine, a firm solid grip whilst he smiles at me contentedly. I smile back, but I can't help but feel as though my expression must be betraying some bewilderment because Thor's eyes are laughing.

He walks back over to Loki, and gestures to him to take the handle on the opposite side of the cylinder. Begrudgingly, the smaller god does as he's told, and places his hand on the golden handle. Thor glares at him, almost scornfully, and if I'm honest I think it would terrify me if he looked upon me that way. But Loki merely shrugs in his bounds, Thor looks back to us for a final time and smiles sadly, then twists the handle; Thor and Loki disappear into the sky in a blur of blue, green, black, and gold.

For a long moment, all we can do is stand and stare upwards. I'm one of the first to awaken from my daze, I turn to Steve and take his hand. He looks at me dazedly, but shakes my hand all the same. Slowly, one by one, we slip out of the dream and catch on. In a few minutes all of us are hugging one another and saying our goodbyes. Aside from those of us leaving together.

After about ten minutes we all disperse. Steve rides off on the motorcycle first; the thing makes a racket as it thunders down the road, and me and Natasha wave to him. When I twist back round on my heel, Tony is staring at me again, he smirks and gives me a thumbs up. 'What the heck?'

"So I guess this is goodbye for us too then, eh?" Natasha's voice brings me back and I swiftly turn my head to face her and nod. She smiles and I lean down to hug her.

"Yeah, I guess, but only for now. Fury will call us back most likely with a new mission in a few months at most..." I say, trailing off. I honestly don't know what else to say. She laughs contentedly.

"Well until then." And she pulls away and holds out her hand. I take it and we shake. Erik yells his final goodbye over to us, and we wave together once more; Erik Selvig gets in his car and drives away, undoubtedly wondering which new project to start now that Thor has gone.

Tony and Clint join us, they have already said their farewells, and so we swop partners. There is no hugging this time, or much of a conversation, simply because we haven't talked on many occassions; instead we just shake hands and nod farewell, each of us baring an undisputed, unrestricted smile. Tony on the other hand is making Natasha laugh as he says goodbye, 'probably coming up with some ridiculous remark about her and Clint' I think.

Our small group of four splits into two; Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff heading into Clint's black and purple car. And Tony leads me to his red convertible. I slide into the cream leather seating, it's smooth and soft. Tony slides in next to me, in the driver's seat. He pulls the key out of his pocket and slips it into the ignition. He looks at me smiling bizarrely, and it's then that I realise I'm staring. I feel a heat rising in my cheeks at being caught and swiftly face forwards. Tony shrugs as he eases the car into a fast but steady speed; he clears his throat and says,

"You're going to love Stark Towers you know." He begins, "The top ten floors all R&D, you'll love it. It's candyland!" He pauses before adding mockingly "However, granted, it currently needs a bit of maintenance work..." (A/N: At this point IamHulk said "Just like their bodies" winked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively) Tony throws me a cheeky grin accompanied with a sly wink.

"Sorry..." I mutter, with a smile. Tony doesn't seem to care that I've beaten up his tower with Loki's limp body.

"No matter, I'm me. I can build another one." He says with his signature 'I'm-richer-than-everyone' smirk.

"Just keep your eyes on the road, you immodest idiot." I grin broadly and he flashes me a hurt look, before laughing with me. Then the conversation seems to die for a while; the silence isn't entirely welcome, but it's not excessively uncomfortable either.


	2. Biology?

*Tony's POV*

"So what kind of experiments are you planning to run? Just so I know which level to put you on." I begin.

"You-" He starts, but I abruptly cut him off, almost as though I don't entirely want to know his answer. I feel as if he may say that he no longer wants to join me, and instead wants to go back to his old life, the one where we picked him up from.

"I'm a billionaire! What did you expect?" To my surprise he laughs deeply for a long moment.

"That's not actually what I was going to say..." He snickers, "I want to work on Biology for a while. I haven't been looking at it really since the lab accident." The last sentence is forlorn. A sad smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, and it takes all my effort to look back to the road for a while. But that smile, it was weeping by itself. Suddenly I feel desperate to cheer him up. The only problem with that is, I can't do that very well without either bringing the subject of the Hulk up, or without a couple of drinks. I sit for a moment in thought, trying to find a suitable idea that could take his mind off the subject slightly.

"You know..." I falter, not really knowing entirely where this sentence is heading. "I.. uh.. I was never very good at Biology." I breathe a sigh of relief. That works well enough. It gets him talking too.

"Really? That's surprising. It's the easiest subject for most people. But I guess it depends on the person and the aspect of the subject..." He trails off quietly, the red that tinges his cheeks tells me that he thinks he has said too much. I decide to take the chance; in all honesty, I've liked him since that day in the lab where he said that he attempted suicide. The comment hit me off guard, and slowly broke me inside. With a suggestive tone I say

"Will you tutor me, Bruce?"

"Uhm.. Sure, I guess..." He says quietly before looking back out of his window. I huff in my head; he hasn't realised what it was I meant. I shrug this one off, but I can't think of how to let him know, without scaring him away. We sit in silence, it's more awkward than before, making it even less welcome. The streets go by in a blur whilst I attempt to think of something to say; but oddly enough, he's the one who gives me the opportunity.

"Which particular aspect of Biology did you have trouble with?" He asks me inquisitively. I regard him for a second out the corner of my eye; his head is now facing me. Wide brown eyes watch me silently, and I can almost see the wheels in his head turning out of curiosity. I almost refuse to believe that curiosity is about- for me. I snap back into reality when his eyes start to reveal worry and confusion at my lack of answer.

"Ohhh, uhm, right..." I stutter incoherently, trying to regain some ground in the conversation. Bruce just looks at me weirdly. "Human Biology." I say, and then relax somewhat as Bruce nods. I've never actually had a problem with Biology, but it's the only thing I can think of.

I want to stare at him bewildered, but I have to settle for staring out of the front drivers window. 'I've sent him three big hints haven't I?' I think helplessly in confusion. I continue to ponder for the remainder of the journey; the car quiet except for the wind rushing past our heads.

* * *

I am so sorry about the length of this chapter; and I know I'm supposed to be finishing other stories, and I will do, however I have recently come down with a bad case of the avengers so I felt the need to type this up :) And can you guys if you read this, please review? I am desperate to know if it is any good, and whether I should bother continuing. Helpful criticism is nice too :) x


	3. I like them where they are

*Bruce's POV*

The car pulls up to Stark Towers. I spent most of the journey here wondering about Tony. His suggestive comments were pretty much our regular conversation now, I think it's just his personality; what was getting to me was the stuttering. It left me confused and caught off guard; Tony's never at a loss for words... I want to believe that Tony is just opening up a bit more, and that revealing that he had difficulty with Human Biology was tough for him, which caused him to jumble his words - but that can't be all, right? It never is for Tony.

I watch Tony as he hastily removes the key from the ignition and swings open his door. Not really desiring to look like a weirdo, I quickly follow suit. When I step out of the car, my hands instinctively move to pull up my trousers. They always slip slightly when I'm sat in a low seat. My fingers curl around the tabs meant for my belt, but as I begin to hitch them up Tony pipes in,

"No, don't pull them up." I turn and stare at him. He gives me an innocent look as he says "I like them where they are."

"What do you mean?" I ask haltingly.

"Oh nothing." he shrugs nonchalantly, and stares impeccably with those wide brown eyes at me. I decide to ignore the comment for the time being; it's Tony's sense of humour anyway right? 'Oh well then' I think, as he begins to close the 5 metre difference between him and Stark Towers. I follow like his lapdog.

He pauses in front of the large glass double doors; through them I see the stylish layout. A grey stone flooring with the occasional white rug slung across it unceremoniously; two light brown oak tables and sleek black chairs. The walls are painted white on this first floor. Tony pushes open the transparent door with one hand and takes a step backwards - gesturing for me to go in first. I take two rushed steps inside, well out the way of the door so that Tony can come in too. I hear him follow quietly but quickly and the doors shut behind me. I have my hands shoved in my pockets awkwardly when I feel it. A ghostly presence on my backside - barely there but still noticeable. A strange warmth emanating from this weird thing on my rear. But just as quickly as it arrives it has gone. I know that the shock has registered on my face when I see it reflected in Tony's sinless cocoa eyes. His left hand is slipping back into his jacket pocket as though nothing happened. It must have been an accident... mustn't it? That can't have been on purpose, surely? But I can't shake the feeling that the... occurrence was completely organised.

I'm stuck, I honestly have no idea what to do this time. 'Think Banner, Think.' And so I do - furiously. But I can't stop what I say next.

"Why did you do that?" Tony just raises his eyebrows casually and replies,

"Do what?"

"You know what!" I snap. Tony stands still and says nothing. Green starts to cloud my vision slightly, so I force myself to calm down. I inhale deeply and try to relax. "Why did you do it though?" My blood is pumping and coursing harshly through my veins. But I am reluctant to let myself go, as anyone would be in my position.

Tony shrugged and replied simply,

"Because I can?" It was a non-committal answer, that threw me off. How was I supposed to reply to that one? 'Think rationally Bruce, for goodness sake. Remember what happened the last time you didn't?' My head is spinning and suddenly I feel a strange desire to sit down. But Tony's having none of it. "Come on, I'll show you round. Your lab!" He said with some enthusiasm. I just followed him dumbly, through the maze of double doors to the lift on the opposite side of the building; too wrapped up in my own thoughts to question him further.

Tony never does anything without some form of motive right? What is he trying to show me? Tell me? This whole affair is beyond ridiculous. He refused to act civil with Steve, but with me, a known rage monster - or as he puts it: 'a man with breath-taking anger management issues' - he was nothing if not friendly. Although, from what I have seen and heard of Tony, and his relationship with his father - or lack thereof, I can't help but suppose that it was actually anger and jealousy seething and bubbling beneath the surface. I believe that was the whole reason for the sarcastic and sometimes spite filled comments towards Steve in the first place. Tony craves and desires the love and attention that Steve received from Howard Stark; so when Steve arrived in the future it hurt Tony a lot more than he let on. Like it was being rubbed in his face almost, that what he actually believed to be his Father's greatest creation was standing in front of him. And it killed him inside.

Tony is waving his hand in front of my face, and I snap out of it.

"What?" I ask confused, still half in my daze. Tony just motions me impatiently into the elevator. But as I walk in slowly, I feel it again. This time, however, it's definitely more noticeable; and I feel more awkward because I am completely certain it was there. Tony has now placed himself comfortably next to me, his hand furthest from me is tucked into his pocket; but the one next to me hangs limply, swaying ever so slightly. I allow my eyes to flick quickly and subtlety over his face. He is wearing that weird smirk again. One that suggests that he's doing what he wants and no-one can stop him, and they have to like it or lump it. I almost gulp: 'What have you let yourself in for, Banner?' I wonder awkwardly.

There is hardly a wait in the lift, but it seems like hours have drifted by in the decidedly awkward silence. I'm light-headed and heavy footed as I step out; but Tony seems as 'cool' as usual. I try to get to grips with the layout in front of me. The surfaces shine and gleam, with all the gadgets and equipment that I have ever owned, and more. There is a door in the corner, that leads into what seems to be a gamma radiation room. 'Ironic...' I think, a hint of annoyance creeping into my mind. The small cut off room has a big window to see into it, the inside of it is painted green and seems to glow. A small electric sign is above the door, which is currently a bright red. I presume that means that the radiation is off. The actual lab itself is painted a bright white, and new lab coats hang on a hook by the entrance to the lift. I can do nothing but gape and stare.

Tony is beaming widely at me, obviously proud of this lab, or the fact that I am lost for words. I can't honestly decide on the difference or the matter of it anyway.

"Told you you'd love it, didn't I?" He laughed, as I nodded silently. I turn to him, and he raises his eyebrows. He outstretches his arms, gesturing for a hug. Confused, I do the same, and we embrace. It is short lived, but I hope it at least expressed my gratitude.

*Tony's POV*

He was stunned, his mouth hung ajar; like a scene from a bad comedy movie. But because it was him I couldn't help but laugh. For a while there, when he went quiet I thought nothing would shock him, though this seems to have brought him back to life. I'm suddenly glad that I had this redecorated. The place looks brand new, where it once looked like a bee hive with most of my trash.


	4. The First Drink

*Tony's POV*

I lie awake that night; thoughts fly through my mind echoing and making it impossible for peace. At 2 a.m I sit up in my bed and yank the covers off of my legs.

"I need a whisky..." I mumble to the darkness. Maybe that will calm my mind? I don't normally get this. When I want to sleep I do; and when I don't, I don't. Simple as that really, I think as I stand up. My shirt hangs loosely over my ebony silk trousers as I stand, my arc reactor glowing a brilliant blue in the dark. I sigh with the effort and start to cross the room. My feet make a soft thumping sound as they land on the wooden panels.

"Jarvis?" I ask, quietly. My voice low as though someone will hear; which is irrational in itself because no-one is here aside from me and Bruce; and his room is a couple of floors down anyway.

"Sir?" The A.I's quick reply rings through my room, ricocheting from the walls.

"Can you turn the lights on in the main room, and at the bar in the main room?"

"They are already switched on, Sir. Mr Banner asked for a drink 33 and a half minutes ago and has been sat there since." That caught me off guard, but it certainly intrigued me.

"And how many drinks has he had?" I inquire.

"He's a quarter of the way through the first one, Sir." The A.I replies in a monotone. 'That's it?' I think, 'I would have been on at least my fifth by now'.

"What is it he's drinking?"

"Orange juice, Sir."

"Orange juice?"

"Orange juice." The A.I confirmed.

"My God..." How can he be drinking orange juice? I wonder as I press the button that calls the lift. The thought still hovers with me when it arrives and as I'm going down.

I rub the sleep from my eyes because of the light that bores down on me from the lift. I recall my time in that cave, when they dragged me out into the searing sun and pulled the bag from my head. I shiver with the memory.  
The soft jolt when I reach my destination almost makes me jump. The lift doors slide open, revealing the softly lit room. His back is turned to me, facing the bar. I cross the floor silently, regarding him the whole time. He repeatedly sighs, although I can't tell if it is with exhaustion or if it's for a different reason entirely. The soft carpet sinks between my toes as I tread closer. I step right up behind him and breathe on his ear and down his neck. Making Bruce jump uncharacteristically.  
Flinging himself around, Bruce releases a drawn in breath, that I presume he didn't realise he was holding because he looks surprised at himself. He looks at me for a long moment with large brown eyes.  
"Yeah, something like that." He replies quietly, and he watches as I walk around until I'm level with him on the other side of the bar. I look down at the drinks glass in his hand and realise that he is in fact drinking orange juice.  
"Mmm, well it's not exactly unsurprising. Being in a new place, after having lost control and turning into an enormous green rage monster to fight off unbelievable aliens from the other side of space. Oh, and don't forget a weird god of mischief with a ridiculous sceptre." He flashes me a glance that tells me that he thinks I am being completely ridiculous. Which... I probably am to be honest. "I would have thought, with all that action, that you would at least be having a stiffer drink than orange juice..." I pull out a whisky flask and two shot glasses. He just shakes his head at me, his thick brown locks flailing across his head.  
"I'd rather not have alcohol... with the, as you said, losing control, thing." I just raise my eyebrows at him; and he faces the counter.  
"Well, I'm having one." I state bluntly; I'm not going to dance around him, like everyone else does. He must be bored of it by now. I pour myself a small glass of whisky, and just hold it in my hand, swirling the liquid awkwardly. I lean over the counter so that my elbows rest on the marble surface; and my wrists fold over one another, the drink in the top hand. I wrack my brains for something - anything - to say. At all. But nothing comes immediately, so we just sit in uninterrupted silence. Eventually, he takes up his glass of orange juice and downs the rest of the drink.  
"Well.. today was interesting." Bruce says, chuckling softly. I laugh with him.  
"I've had better." I joke lightly. However, he looks genuinely intrigued at what I have just stated.  
"Oh?" He raises his eyebrows at me, and looks at me expectantly through his glasses.  
"Don't forget I've been kidnapped and held captive. That and I also have this thing in my chest." I tap the arc reactor gently twice with two fingers. Bruce scoffs.  
"Don't forget I turn into 'an enormous green rage monster'." He says, quoting me and mimicking my tone of voice. "Besides, in the course of this week, the other guy has had more action than ever." Bruce sighs audibly, "To be honest, I'm exhausted." He yawns, and stretches. Lifting his arms above his head and pushing them upwards. He brings them down again quickly, and lets out a huff. I watch almost mesmerized at the sight. Bruce looks back at me, and raises an eyebrow at my obvious staring. I cough, trying to cover my slight embarrassment and think of something to say. He just chuckles to himself and contents himself with looking at his empty glass.  
"I think we all are," I begin, "Could you do something for me though?" I ask. Bruce's large brown eyes look up at me above his glasses, but his head doesn't move; his soft brown hair falling in a cute mess on his head.  
"Depends on what it is." He says after a long moment, keeping his tone of voice casual and relaxed.  
"Could you thank him for me?" I request quietly; keeping my eyes fixed on his. The tension in the room so thick that you could cut a slice of it and feed on it. Bruce breathes out deeply, and leans back, breaking the awkward gaze. I try to look like it was just a passing question, something to keep the conversation going. I slouch my shoulder's slightly, and lower my eyes. The silence rings deafeningly in my ears.  
"What for?" He eventually asks. 'Way to kill a guy Bruce' I think venomously.  
"For saving me of course." I shrug and try to look like I don't care all that much. But truth be told, if it weren't for him, I'd be dead by now. I can tell that Bruce knows it too; it reflects in his eyes, and the almost invisible shake of his hands. "Oh, and thank yourself obviously. It can't have just been him that saved me then."  
"No problem." Bruce says, his tone almost devoid of emotion. "I think he'd say the same thing, if he wasn't busy destroying...Harlem." He starts to snigger, and I laugh as I recall our first conversation.  
"You know, you're exactly where you said you wouldn't be during that conversation." I say as I put down my glass and walk around to the other side of the counter to join him. My steps slow and easy as our conversation begins to ease.  
"The R&D lured me in." Bruce laughs contentedly as I pull out a stool and sit down next to him.  
"Well I'm glad it did." I say softly. He smiles, and I flash him an undisciplined grin. Then the ominous silence descends again as we wait patiently for the other to speak. I take the time to look at him properly. His hair is a complete mess, flopping about carelessly on both his forehead and head - slightly greasy but not so much that it's disgusting. He's donned in a typically purple t-shirt and green pyjama bottoms. I fail to hide a smirk at his colour choices; I know because he peers at me curiously after I've thought it. I cough to hide a laugh, then stand up and pat him on the shoulder firmly.  
"Nice choice of colours Bruce." I whisper into his ear. He looks slightly alarmed, and I can't help but snigger. "Have fun drinking your orange juice!" I send him a cheeky wink, as I start to cross the floor. My hand burning from where I held his shoulder.  
"Well you haven't even touched your whisky." Bruce states, though I can hear the smile creeping into his voice. He stands up. "I'll come with you, I need to get some rest anyway." I turn to face him, and put a shocked look on my face.  
"Bruce. This place may be new, but you're a grown man. You don't need me to protect you, do you?" He just rolls his eyes, and I can see that he's finding me annoying. "Look, if you wanted to sleep with me, you could've just asked." I say, trying to be completely serious, but failing miserably.  
"I meant I was going to go to my own room." He says, and I try to look hurt. "Besides, from the... things you've been doing, I think that it's _you_ who wants to sleep with _me_. Not the other way around." He says, an uncharacteristic me-like smirk being born on his soft features. He's crossed the floor and is standing in front of me now. I laugh before closing the small distance between us. He tenses somewhat, and I can tell he wasn't expecting it.  
"You're right." I purr into his ear, bringing a hand up to play with the hair that rests on the back of his neck. "How about it?" I whisper seductively.  
"How about no?" He suggests, sounding almost unfazed. I step back, and can tell he's lying. I look him straight in the eyes, his are glazed over slightly, and aren't looking into mine too deeply. "I'm going to bed." He says quietly.  
"Mine?" I ask, cursing myself at the hope that creeps into my voice.  
"No. Mine." He says, attempting to put a blunt end to our conversation. But I'm not going to have any of it. He turns around, trying to ignore me. I wrap my arms around his waist, and rest my head on his shoulder. I breath down his neck. And I feel him stiffen awkwardly, his arms tensing. I can feel the blush creeping up his neck, and it makes me smirk.  
"Can I join you?" I ask softly.  
"No. Goodnight Tony." He says, dislodging himself from my hold with a very tricky bit of movement. Bruce moves out of my reach, heading towards the elevator. I follow feeling like a disobedient puppy. I decide that enough is enough for him this evening. I can tell from the dark circles under his eyes that he's tired. I stand next to him, feeling shrunken.  
"I was.. just joking." I say softly, and he looks at me disbelievingly.  
"Sure you were." He mutters.  
"I'm sorry..." I continue, and he gives me the glance again. I step in front of him.  
"No, you're not." I cave at his expression, he looks like he wants to laugh. I relax, sighing audibly.  
"No, you're right. I'm not." I laugh, but out of relief more than anything. "Goodnight Bruce."  
"Goodnight Tony." He says as he enters the elevator and the doors slide closed. I wear the smile the whole way back to my room. I flop back into bed feeling a bit more content as I slide into an easy sleep.

*Bruce's POV*  
I lie down on my bed. It's soft, and it envelops me. I pull the covers over me and try to sleep, failing horribly. I lie awake, unmoving, my brain rattled. I'm starting to get Tony's intentions towards me now. But that's not the problem I'm having difficulty solving. Tony has never admitted to being gay, ever, or even bisexual for one. He's always acted completely straight. He even said so himself; he's a playboy. And me; well, I never even put any thought into it. I've never thought that I was gay, but obviously there is something there.  
Then to add to it, doesn't he have Pepper Potts? I was under the impression that they were together; considering some of the footage I've seen of them both. There seems to be a lot of chemistry and history between them, at the very least. I'll have to ask the rest of the team soon, before any of this gets out of hand - or my control, which I'd like to think, under the circumstances, is quite good. I breathe in and out deeply, trying to relax my mind and body. To stop thinking, and cut off the rest of the world.  
And finally, the obvious question, do I return the sentiment? I guess I do, when he put his arms around my waist I felt my pulse raise. And then again when he breathed down my neck. Then I couldn't remain annoyed about the situation or the position he put me in. Instead I wanted to laugh at him, I felt like I could've laughed for hours at his expression. He looked like a beaten down dog. I chuckle quietly at the memory of his face and sad expression. Then when he replied with a cheeky remark that made me want to hit him upside the head I didn't, I wanted to hug him, and so settled for a 'goodnight'.  
The thoughts buzz through my mind for a good couple of hours as I lie in the darkness, before my mind finally lets me drift off into a light slumber until morning.


	5. Chapter 5

*** Bruce's POV***

My eyes blink themselves open reluctantly, and I emit an exhausted sigh. My hands came up to rub the sleep from my eyes in my usual routine. 'Where am I?' I wonder, before I remember last night's events. 'Oh... yeah... Stark Towers.' My room is still pitch black, and I absent-mindedly roll over to check the clock that is residing on my bedside table. It's 9:43 AM; 'that can't be right?' I wonder, looking around the room again. I force myself up so that I'm sat with my hands behind my back offering support. The room is still dark, at this time? 'And I'm definitely not blind...' I think, taking a long hard look at the clock again.

"What's going on here?" I ask myself quietly, an uneasy feeling setting in the pit of my stomach.

"Good morning." A voice states, and it takes me a long moment to realise that it's JARVIS talking. The blinds slide open by themselves, revealing a spectacular view of the city, and an equally amazing clear blue sky. "I trust you slept well?" The A.I inquires.

I breathe a sigh of relief, and slip my legs out from underneath the covers, and rub my eyes against the sun. "Fine thanks..." I murmur, lying easily - in reality I've been tossing and turning all night. I thought that JARVIS saw everything that went on - if so, why isn't he mentioning it? I shrug off the thought, and stand myself up. I thrust my arms up to the ceiling, and lean back slightly to stretch out my back. My bare feet dig into the soft carpet leaving unintentional imprints. Still a bit wobbly from sleep, I stride over to the elevator and press the button to summon it.

I step out of the elevator and into the main lobby; the memories of last night's events hit me with the sights. The bizarre conversation, that sounded like we were completely drunk. I look over at the counter. Tony's still full glass of whisky sits there and my empty glass, untouched since last night. I chuckle quietly, 'Well, we definitely weren't drunk... unless JARVIS spiked my orange juice...' I think - then I laugh, deciding against the last thought.

I wander over, not sure what to do with myself, when the elevator doors slide open audibly again. I turn in surprise, stunned out of my thoughts. I see a flash of long blonde hair - Pepper. She enters, quietly mumbling to herself and staring at a clipboard that rests comfortably in one arm. She carries a pen in the other hand, jotting something down once on one of the few sheets of paper that protrude from the clipboard. Her sleek black heels dig deeply into the carpet as she walks across the room. I don't think she's noticed me; she's too caught up in whatever it is she's looking at.

I cough quietly, to subtly attract her attention. Pepper gasps, jumping slightly and dropping her notes in the process. I frown at the fact that I was the one to make her jump, and hurry over to her.

"Hi, Bruce." She says, somewhat cheerfully, as she leans down to pick up the notes. I follow her actions, leaning down and helping her to pick up the pieces of paper that have scattered themselves across the floor.

"Hi, Miss Potts." I reply with a small, slightly shy smile.

"Pepper, please." She chuckles gently, focusing her attention on the floor - something tells me she's said that a few times before this.

"Good morning, Pepper." I say, and she laughs - I briefly think it's because of my formality; and the look she fires at me lets me know that I'm correct in that assumption. I give a small chuckle in response, and look down at the three sheets that I've picked up in our small conversation subconciously.

The small picture in the top right-hand corner of the paper that rests on the top of the sheets meets my eye and immediately catches my attention. It's a minuscule, grey image of Captain America's shield. I take a brief look through the sheets - there's a lot of legal things, and something about putting a new floor in.

I feel my eyebrows fold into a frown on my forehead - and I look through the sheets. The second one has a picture of a bow with an arrow and target, then the final one has a picture of a hammer. Each have pretty much exactly the same things written on them. The frown becomes more prominent on my face, and I feel Pepper's eyes on me. I can tell she's looking for my reaction.

"What's this?" I ask quietly, looking over each of the sheets in turn, reading the notes and formal lettering. But she doesn't get a chance to answer, as Tony walks in - in his usual cool and overconfident manner.

As Tony saunters in, having a casual chat with JARVIS, I take a long moment to look at him. Properly look at him. He's clad in his usual 'Black Sabbath' t-shirt, and some dark blue jeans. One hand is shoved in his pocket, tucked away and out of sight. His other waves dismissively at one of JARVIS's suggestions before disappearing into his opposite pocket. He doesn't notice us as he walks into the room originally, too caught up with talking with the A.I about technical aspects of, what I presume to be, his suit. It's subconscious, but I later realise that I'm chewing on my bottom lip as I watch him.  
Tony goes over to the bar, picking up his leftover glass of whisky. He takes a long slow sip as his eyes skim the room subtly, before settling on me and Pepper knelt on the floor together. The glass is dropped from his mouth, and he places it with a 'clunk' back on the counter. He raises his eyebrows at us, and I cough awkwardly - Pepper laughing in the same manner. Tony regards us quietly, and I can sense that Pepper is joining me in waiting for a smart-arse comment. His eyebrows lower slowly, and he smirks. I hear Pepper sigh before me, already hearing what's coming before Tony says it - I silently chuckle at her, feeling automatically sorry for the blonde. She has had to put up with this for years, and me? For about a week, and he already drives me up the wall sometimes.  
"Well, don't let me interrupt you two." He states, smirking and chuckling somewhat darkly. Pepper sighs audibly and rises up, rolling her body back up on her heels with a strange ease that I don't think I'd ever be able to muster in heels.  
I follow in her footsteps as it were, putting one hand on the floor and pushing myself up. I keep hold of the paper files as I stand, looking hard at them - my eyes doing a quick scan of the information. Then I hand them back to her once I feel fully balanced.  
She takes them gratefully, locking her eyes on mine for a long minute - and I feel as though I am being silently interrogated by her. It's like I'm an open book and she's causally turning the pages; reading my entire life story in a glance. I can tell what she's looking for- my reaction; to the files. To those bits of paper that say so much, and yet they hardly have any real information on them at all. I keep my face flat, and force any emotions that I am feeling down. I internally shrug, I'm used to it by now - I've had to do it for years with the Hulk always sitting there in the back of my mind, waiting for a time to appear and destroy.  
I can see Tony out of the corner of my eyes, his own brown eyes switching between the two of us. Drinking in the scene, and looking like he's feeding off of the tension between me and Pepper. It's not exactly a negative vibe that either of us are giving off - just a confusion hanging in the air, so thick that you could cut through it with a butter knife. I sigh slightly, and drag my eyes away from Peppers; I turn my gaze to the floor, deciding that it is the safest bet - I am only too aware that they are both staring at me.

*** Tony's P.O.V ***  
'What's going on?' I wonder distantly, as I focus my eyes on Steve. My brow furrowed a while ago; but now my face is a full frown. I force my face to relax and I force on a cheesy smile. Clapping my hands together, I move over to where Pepper is standing. I see Bruce's head snap up at the clap, and his eyes burn through me - but I choose to ignore it. I can feel the tension building again, as I gently pry the paper files from her hands. I take in a brief glance, seeing the images at the top of the paper.  
"Ah..." I murmur quietly, as my eyes scan over the information. I lick my lips and pause to gather my thoughts, handing the files back over to Pepper. "I'm installing new floors - Fury's orders." I state flatly, moving my eyes to meet with Bruce's. I sense the atmosphere loosen slightly, and I can make an accurate guess that he believes me. I shrug nonchalantly. "I was told it was best if we stayed together - the Avengers I mean." I regard him quietly, waiting for some kind of reaction from him. His face is apparently bored - but his eyes reflect his seething... what is that? Annoyance?  
A smirk slides onto my face, and I can see the irritation beginning to shine through on his face. I have to hand it to him though - he really can keep a hold of himself. I huff slightly, then shrug again. "Fury's orders." I state, innocently. He shakes his head - his bed hair flopping over his face, then settling there as he looks down.  
I bite the inside of my mouth thoughtfully, and put my hands in my pockets. I look over to Pepper, who's wearing a frown. I send a cheeky wink in her direction, and she rolls her eyes - but her eyebrows still raise in wonder at what I'm about to do.


End file.
